William LaFave

William LaFave was born September 29, 1929, in Kingsford, Michigan. He was raised and educated there, graduating from Kingsford High School in 1947. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy. After leaving active duty, he remained in the United States Navy Reserve for several years and went on to attend the Badger Green Bay Business College in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was married in 1953 and briefly moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after the wedding, where he was employed as an accountant.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/green-bay-press-gazette-lafave-germain-w/134341580/ |title= Newlyweds to Reside in Milwaukee |newspaper= Green Bay Press-Gazette |date= May 9, 1953 |page= 8 |accessdate= October 30, 2023 |via= Newspapers.com}}

He ultimately returned to Green Bay and changed careers in 1961, working for several years as a Wisconsin State Patrol officer, before moving further north to Marinette County, Wisconsin, where he worked for the local police department and later became a captain in the county traffic patrol department.{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/green-bay-press-gazette-marinette-traffi/134376671/ |title= Motorists Get Safety Message on Marrinette-Co. Police Cars |newspaper= Green Bay Press-Gazette |date= August 16, 1967 |first= Pat |last= Zahorik |access-date= October 30, 2023 |via= Newspapers.com}}

In 1968, incumbent Marinette County state representative Leslie R. Stevenson announced he would not run for re-election. LaFave faced two other Republican candidates in the primary, including Roy H. Sengstock, who had previously served five terms in the Assembly as a representative of Marinette County. LaFave managed to prevail with 43% of the vote, finishing 183 votes ahead of Sengstock, and easily won the November general election, receiving 64% of that vote.{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/63MVAJVDHMHFW9E |title= The State of Wisconsin 1970 Blue Book |year= 1970 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |editor-last1= Theobald |editor-first1= H. Rupert |editor-last2= Robbins |editor-first2= Patricia V. |chapter= Elections in Wisconsin |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A63MVAJVDHMHFW9E/full/AT73T7RGWQMS5Q85 803], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A63MVAJVDHMHFW9E/full/A7E6IU2KL56CQ68B 818] |accessdate= October 30, 2023}} He went on to win re-election in 1970, facing opponents in both the primary and general elections.{{cite report|url= https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/4QZIH6JIJYFLR8R |title= The state of Wisconsin 1971 Blue Book |year= 1971 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |chapter= Elections in Wisconsin |pages= [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A4QZIH6JIJYFLR8R/full/AOTS2J7LMN67BK9C 302], [https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A4QZIH6JIJYFLR8R/full/AWMYPMYQNU57FM9C 319] |access-date= October 30, 2023}} After the major redistricting act in 1971, LaFave's district was divided in half, with his area of eastern Marinette County incorporated into what became the 88th Assembly district. LaFave announced in March 1972 that he would not run for re-election in the new district,{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-lafave-not-runni/134395672/ |title= William LaFave Won't Run Again |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |date= March 15, 1972 |page= 42 |accessdate= October 30, 2023 |via= Newspapers.com}} and he left office in January 1973.

After leaving office, he worked in real estate and taught police science at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In his later years he also became involved in several charitable and community service programs.

He died October 20, 2016.

William LaFave was one of four children born to William J. and Florence ({{nee}} Beauchamp) LaFave.

William LaFave married Shirley Ann Germain on May 9, 1953, they met while he was attending business school in Green Bay. They had ten children together and were married for 56 years before her death in 2009. All ten children survived them, along with 32 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.{{cite web|url= https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/postcrescent/name/william-lafave-obituary?id=19004361 |title= William LaFave Obituary |website= Legacy.com |accessdate= October 30, 2023}}

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{{s-bef|before = Leslie R. Stevenson}}

{{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nowrap|from the Florence–Marinette district}} |years= January 6, 1969{{spnd}}January 1, 1973}}

{{s-non|reason = District abolished}}

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Category:1929 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:People from Kingsford, Michigan

Category:Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin

Category:People from Peshtigo, Wisconsin

Category:Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin

Category:United States Navy reservists

Category:United States Navy sailors

Category:Catholic politicians from Wisconsin

Category:20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature